Listen, I know sometimes people look down on canned foods and what not, but when you’re in a pinch, or on a tight budget, you can do great things with very little and still have a fab meal. Here are two of my faves that I make regularly

Spicy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chicken, drained and shredded
  • 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized cucumber, chopped
  • 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 medium-sized cooked potatoes, cubed
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or your favorite kind)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the canned chicken, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumber, and chopped jalapenos. Toss the ingredients together to combine.
  2. Add the cubed cooked potatoes to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
  3. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper until it forms a smooth dressing. Add the cayenne, sugar and froth/mix the dressing until smooth
  4. Pour the mayonnaise dressing over the chicken and vegetable mixture in the large mixing bowl. Toss everything together until it’s well coated with the dressing.
  5. Add the shredded cheese and chopped walnuts to the mixing bowl and toss everything together again.
  6. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
  7. Serve the salad chilled, garnished with additional chopped walnuts and fresh herbs if desired.

Pasta Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can of chicken, drained and shredded
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 cups of penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
2 cups of shredded cheese (mozzarella or your favorite kind)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
Salt, chili flakes and pepper to taste
Freshly chopped basil

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, sliced red and yellow bell peppers, and sliced red onion. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture, add the Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together until the vegetables and chicken are well coated with the oil and seasoning.
  3. Transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture to a large casserole dish.
  4. Add the cooked penne pasta to the casserole dish with the chicken and vegetables. Toss everything together gently.
  5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the casserole.
  6. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  7. Remove the foil from the casserole dish and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
  8. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and serving.

Enjoy!